…Stakeholders predict worsening maternal, child health
In a matter of days, as promised by the senate president, the breakdown of the amended 2016 appropriated bill will be made public. This will include details of how the N257 billion health allocation will be spent, the exact amount set aside for maternal, new born and child health and how adequate this will be for the task of protecting the rights to health and life of women and children in the country. Even before the passage of the bill, the 2016 health budget has been generating palpable anxiety among stakeholders in the sector since it was presented to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari as experts fear that more women and children may die, given the lean budget which may not accord the needed priority to maternal and child health. Up till now, the country’s maternal and child mortality and morbidity remains one of the worst in the world, with 111 women dying every day from pregnancy- related causes, while one in 8 children in Nigeria die before their 5th birthday , going by the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS, 2013).
A survey of the 2016 health budget by a budget analyst, Seun Onigbinde, revealed that a huge part of the N257 billion has been set aside for personnel costs, while issues of Maternal and Newborn Child Health (MNCH) remains insignificant. He raised concern over the 2016 health budget and its ability to finance child and family health issues. “The 2016 health budget is just 4.23 per cent of the overall budget, which is lower than the 5.78 per cent of the 2015 health budget. This casts doubt on this administration’s ability to save women and children. It is also a far cry from the commitment by the committee of African Heads of State to commit not less than 15 per cent of their budgets to healthcare”, he said. He noted that the capital expenditure to health which also remains low at N35, 670,000, 000, compared to the N433, 400,000,000 and N202,000,000,000, of ‘Works, power and housing’, and ‘Transportation’ showed government’s lack of concern to boost infrastructure in the sector. From the budget, National Health Act (NHA) has also not been captured, he said.
However, Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health, while speaking on Health Policy dialogue organized by Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON) last week in Abuja, gave assurance on the implementation of the NHA. He said: “Let me correct the impression that the National Health Act wouldn’t be implemented. The President had given assurance in a written document that he would launch the gazette by himself and flag off the implementation of the National Health Act soonest. “What we need to focus on, since we had had the President’s assurance on the implementation, is how the implementation is going to be done.” Speaking further on the review of the health policy, he said: “Professor Eyitayo Lambo, former minister of health, is heading the review of the National Health Policy, which would also enhance our strategy in handling overall health issues and health emergencies that often confront us as a people. We are determined on having active and all-encompassing National Health Policy for proper direction.”
He assured that the National Health Act would be captured in the latest National Health Strategic and Development plan. However, Ben Anyaene, chairman, board of trustees for National Health Act, insists that the Federal Government must ensure even the supplementary budget captures the provisions of National Health Act, since it is not in the present budgetary provisions. “Once the bill begins to work, most of the things we are talking about Universal Health coverage would be covered.” In view of the meagre health allocation, he said government should provide alternative funding for health.
Meanwhile, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has urged government to increase funding and ensure adequate release of allocated budget for family and child health, in order to quell the high maternal and child death situation in the country. The centre, with support from Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH), made this appeal during a 2-day media workshop in Kano State.
They declared that budget provision in Nigeria for nutrition, routine immunisation, family planning and childhood killer diseases is inadequate while commitments made in the past has not been fulfilled. In her speech, Mrs. Chinwe Onuomonu, of the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning, noted that allocations and budget commitments for family planning blue print have so far not been fulfilled. “Nigeria committed to pay 3 million dollars annually for procurement of family planning commodities while donors pay 8 million. As at 2014 and 2015, nothing has been paid”, she said. According to her, about 111 women die daily as a result of pregnancy-related issue in Nigeria, however, up to 33 per cent of these deaths can be prevented through family planning. Another speaker, Okoronkwo Sunday, explained that inadequate funding, inconsistency in budgetary allocation and release and the delayed domestication and implementation of National Strategic Plan of Action on Nutrition (NSPAN) are challenges facing eradicating malnutrition in Nigeria.
“The budgetary allocation of N2,100,000 and N200,000 by the Ministry of budget and national planning for 2013 and 2014 respectively were not released while in 2015, only 300,000 (50 per cent) of the N6,005,400 budgeted was released. “The Nigerian government has developed the nutritional policy- NASPAN. This document, if adopted and implemented at the local and state level will, by 2019 reduce stunting by 20 per cent, wasting by 15 per cent and increase exclusive breast feeding by 50 per cent. David Akpotor, in his own speech, exposed the issue of two childhood killer diseases, pneumonia and diarrhoea, which kill over 400, 000 children annually in Nigeria. He reminded Nigerian government about the policy – united Nations commission on life-saving commodities – UNCoLSC, which it signed with the Norwagian Prime minister in 2012, agreeing to adopt and implement the 13 global recommendations and guidelines for treatments of pneumonia and diarrhoea. “One of the recommendations is that amoxicillin dispersible tablet should be adopted as the first line in treatment of pneumonia while zinc and oral rehydration salt, should be adopted for diarrhoea. Up till now, these drugs are not included in essential medicines, in Lagos, Kano and other states, except in Kaduna state.”
On routine immunization, Ndidi Chukwu, from CHR, called for the implementation of the National Health Act (NHA) 2014.
By: Franka Osakwe
National Mirror News
ABUJA: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
PORTHARCOURT: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
LAGOS: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
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